2 Years Jail for Hamilton Employer

Paying staff in cash, goods or trade, no records or various tax returns has landed a Hamilton boss with a 2 year jail sentence this week.

Extensive offending over a decade including no PAYE or GST returns and 'wilfully ignoring obligations' has seen Hamilton based KEB Transport's boss bankrupt and now facing a custodial sentence.

Just under an estimated half-million dollar tax fraud makes this an extreme example, far removed from the more commonplace record-keeping failures.

Upon sentencing the Judge said this wasn't a crime against a faceless Government Department,
rather it was stealing from everyday Kiwis who also had to pay tax. Starting at a 3 and a half years jail term various mitigating circumstances, guilty pleas, previous good character and remorse, saw it brought down to 24 months.